Field Status at a Glance

Soccer has been a very important part of my life, which helped to form the person I am today. As long as I can remember I have been playing soccer, waking up early on the weekends, and playing in the rain, snow, sun, heat, and cold. Playing soccer has taught me what it means to win and lose. It has allowed me to meet the kids who are now some of my best friends. All the coaches that I have had over the years have instilled their values in me. Playing for Rush ever since the club came to Idaho gave me and the team opportunities that would not have been possible without Rush’s name in the world of soccer.

My first couple years in club ball there were a lot of politics going on, among coaches and parents. I still do not fully understand why the things happened the way they did, but I didn’t care because I just wanted to play soccer with my friends, and was able to despite all the events occurring. When I played for FC Boise, for the two years before Rush came to Idaho, I became good friends with all of the kids on the team. Then Rush came and we were all able to stay together and continue playing with each other. Some of my best friends are from playing soccer for Idaho Rush. Having a different coach every year gave me the ability to acquire the positive values from multiple different role models. I always did what my coach asked me to do, whether it required me to play goalie, to improve my first touch, or to create space on the soccer field. The friends and coaches that I have met while playing soccer have impacted my life.

The lessons I have learned from playing soccer don’t come just from the result of the game, but from the entire game. I’ve learned over the years that the result of a soccer game does not usually show the better team. Instead of asking who won or what the score was, I prefer to ask how did you play. I have been part of every kind of game result from winning and losing by six, to penalty shootouts. In losses I have been told to remember what it feels like to lose so that you never have to experience it again. In wins I have been told to enjoy the win, but remember there is another game tomorrow. Winning and losing have given me experiences that I can use for the rest of my life.

Soccer has taught me lessons and given me experiences that I have and will use in life and have passed onto the younger kids on my high school team. Playing for Rush has been a great experience and I will always have the memories from practices, to the 16-hour bus rides. I would also like to thank my parents for supporting me and helping me to continue to play soccer. Without my parents, all the people who managed the team, and all the time the coaches put into coaching I would not be where I am today.